


Resignation

by EquinoxWolf



Category: Star Fox Series
Genre: Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, F/M, Relationship Discussions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:40:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26102815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EquinoxWolf/pseuds/EquinoxWolf
Summary: Fox discovers that Krystal wants to quit the team. Fortunately, the news is not all doom and gloom.
Relationships: Krystal/Fox McCloud
Kudos: 9





	Resignation

**Author's Note:**

> I came up with this little treat a short while ago. This one goes out to all you fans of the Lucy and Krystal ending from Star Fox Command.

Hot water cascaded over Fox. He lifted his muzzle towards it. Serene silence echoed within his thoughts as the flow raced through his fur; tearing away the coat of suds and early-workout sweat; leaving his body cleansed. After another moment to indulge, Fox turned the shower off.

A chill began to set in as Fox reached for his towel. He rubbed vigorously over his head and torso. Fox then wrapped the towel around his waist. His eyes fell upon the second towel draped over the rack, embroidered with the word _‘Hers.’_

Fox knew it was a silly thing to make him smile. It simply gladdened him that the towel was seeing use again. His mornings felt much less lonesome this way. Fox turned to the mirror. A happier tod stared back compared to the miserable lout who had stood in the glass six months ago.

Since the end of the war with the Anglars, Fox had worked hard to mend his relationship with Krystal. Some days had been easier than others at first. They started small with him welcoming her back onto the _Great Fox II_ as teammates. Gone became the leader-subordinate roles they once worked by. Now, they were true partners, with Fox giving Krystal equal say in the missions they took and how they operated on the battlefield. He acknowledged her feats more and fretted over her less. He gave her the respect that he should have always paid her from the very beginning. In return, Krystal gave Fox the chance to be more than friends again.

Fox searched through the cabinets and drawers around the sink. A frown crossed his face. Where the hell was the blow dryer? When he couldn’t find it, Fox stepped out of the ensuite. Krystal often walked around the captain’s quarters while she was drying her fur, so he suspected she might have left it lying around in there.

The dryer wasn’t in the obvious places. Getting desperate, Fox decided to check inside the dresser. He didn’t find it among Krystal’s delicates. However, there was a piece of paper in there that caught his eye. Fox knew he shouldn’t snoop but his curiosity won out. He’d apologise to Krystal later. Fox unfolded the sheet and read it. His heart sank.

‘ _Dear Fox,_

 _Please accept this letter as my formal resignation from Star Fox…_ ’

The paper shook in Fox’s fingers. He blinked his eyes, but the words did not change in front of him. It was penned in Krystal’s handwriting. This wasn’t some print-out left lying around as a joke. Fox’s breath passed quickly and panicked. With the letter crumpled in his fist, he rushed towards the doorway.

Then his towel dropped to the floor with a soft thump. Fox held the doorhandle, glancing down at his chest. Some sense found its way back to him. ‘ _Dry off first. Then pants._ ’

He forewent the dryer and just threw clothes over his damp fur. Fox hurried down the corridor. All the while, his thoughts were in a flurry. ‘ _Krystal is leaving! She wants to leave! Why?! What did I do wrong?! I thought she was happy now! I have to fix this! I have to fix this!’_

When he reached the mess hall, Krystal stood over the stove in her grey nightshirt and shorts. She turned and smiled to him. “Morning.” Krystal soon noticed his distress. “Fox? What’s wrong?”

Fox tried to speak, yet his throat tightened on itself. Instead, he held the letter up in front of him. “What is this?” he whimpered.

Staring upon the sheet, Krystal’s expression quickly fell. She held her arms as she glanced sadly away. “I’m sorry, Fox. I was going to tell you…”

“I was looking for the blow dryer and I found _this!"_ Fox exclaimed frantically. “What’s going on, Krys? Why are you leaving? Whatever it is I’ve done; I’m sorry! I promise I’ll do better! Just tell me what’s wrong and I’ll fix it! Please!”

Krystal walked up to Fox. She smiled softly as she placed her hands atop his shoulders. “Fox, calm down. It’s okay.” She cupped his cheek, drying his eye with a thumb. “It’s okay. Nothing’s wrong.”

“Then what is this about?” Fox waved the letter again. No matter how many times he looked at it, the big, blue ‘resignation’ still burned across the page.

Krystal sighed. “I was hiding that until I could think of how best to tell you. Should have found a better place for it. I’m sorry for scaring you, Fox.”

“So, you do want to quit.” Fox’s voice broke. “But why?”

She asked him for one moment while she turned the stove off. A half-cooked pancake sizzled atop it. Then, Krystal took Fox’s hands into hers.

“Fox, I’ve been happy with giving our relationship a second chance; and I’m thankful for the work we’ve both put into making things better between us. But… I’ve noticed that there are things that haven’t changed. And I’ve realised that they simply can’t. They’re things like how we’ve been fighting alongside each other on missions.”

Fox squeezed her fingers. “I promised you that I’d stop trying to protect you; that I’d trust you to keep yourself safe.”

Krystal gave him a sad smile. “And you also told me that you would never stop worrying.”

She broke their gaze and sighed again. “And that’s the thing. Whenever we fly out on a mission, you always worry about me. I appreciate that you respect me more now; but when you worry, that distracts you. And when you’re distracted, that puts you in danger; and that then worries me.”

Her thumb stroked his knuckles. “I don’t want you to put your life at risk by constantly fretting over mine. I’ve thought about how we can fix that, but there’s only one answer that I can see. If we want to work together, then we can’t work together.”

Fox swallowed. “So… when you say you’re leaving… you mean…?”

“I’m leaving Star Fox. But I’m not leaving you.” Krystal looped her arms around Fox and held him close. She nestled into the damp patch around his shoulder. “When you fired me six months ago, I was upset and angry with you. I felt like you had taken everything I loved away from me. But now I think I better understand what you were feeling at the time. Since our professional and personal relationships can’t seem to mix, I’m choosing the one that matters the most to me.”

Fox released a heavy breath past her ear. All the tension dispersed from his shoulders. “I’m so relieved.”

“I’m sorry that you had to find out this way.” Krystal kissed his cheek. “I should have told you, myself, sooner.”

He kissed her back. Then he stepped away and looked into her eyes. “So, what will you do now?”

Krystal smiled. “Well… Lucy, Katt, Amanda and I have been talking. We plan on starting our own mercenary team.”

Fox’s eyes flew wide. “Your own team? That’s amazing, Krys!” She shared his grin.

It made perfect sense to Fox. Together, the girls had defended Corneria from the Anglars’ surprise attack during the Blitz. Although half of them barely knew each other, they somehow formed an effective team to save the day.

“So, what are you going to call yourselves?” Fox asked.

Krystal squirmed, as though the question made her uncomfortable. “We talked about that, too… and put it to a vote… and the girls want the team to be Star Krystal.” Her ear twitched nervously. “And they want me to be the leader.”

For a moment, Fox gaped in stunned silence. Slowly, he held Krystal by her shoulders. “Krys… that’s incredible. It’s fantastic!” He pulled her into a fierce embrace. “I’m… I’m really proud of you, Krystal. You deserve this.”

She nuzzled into him. “Thank you, Fox.”

He pulled back again. A wistful smile stretched his muzzle. “You’ve really come a long way from the girl we picked up on Sauria.”

Krystal smiled back. A tear glistened in her eye. “I had a good teacher.”

“How long until you girls start?”

“Right now, we’re putting a deposit together for our own carrier. Once we have a ship, we can start operating across the system.”

They had planned that far ahead already? Impressive. Fox blew out a breath. “That’s going to take a long while.” A lightbulb then flashed. “I know! Instead of buying a carrier, why don’t you girls just take the _Great Fox_?”

Krystal became gobsmacked. “Fox… This ship…? We can’t! Star Fox is your father’s legacy! It means everything to you!”

“I know,” Fox nodded gently. “And now I’m passing that legacy onto you.” He could see in the shift in Krystal’s expression how deeply he moved her. “Besides, after you’re gone, it’ll be just me here. This ship is too big for one person, so I’d rather give it to someone who I know will take care of it.”

“Oh, Fox…”

“Go on. Take it. I’m insisting.”

Krystal wiped her tears away. “But what will you do?”

At a loss, Fox glanced towards the ceiling. “Don’t know yet. I guess I could hang out on Corneria and do some solo jobs around there. Maybe I could join Falco’s new team. He’s told me he’s keen to work in some different systems for a while. Would be a good chance to see the wider galaxy.”

An incredulous look overtook Krystal. “You; working for Falco? Are you sure you can handle that?”

“Hey, that way I can get back at him for the ten-plus years of shit I’ve had to put up with.” Fox grinned. _That_ would be a lot of fun. “Let’s see how he likes paying for fuel cells while I’m the one racing around asteroid fields.”

Krystal laughed. “You’re terrible.” She then embraced him again. “Thank you, Fox. I’m so happy that you’re supportive of this.”

He held her tightly. “I’ll admit, you freaked me out for a bit, there. But now that I understand what you’re doing, I’m glad for you. I really do hope that things work out for Star Krystal.” A thought then occurred to him. “I’m probably going to have to move out, though.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Krystal told him. “You’ll always be welcome to stay here. Amanda’s actually working on getting Slippy onboard as our full-time mechanic, so you’ll always have company.”

“Wow, Slippy all alone with four beautiful ladies. Lucky fella,” Fox joked. “But thanks, Krys. Whatever it is I end up doing, I’ll be sure to visit you here often.”

“I look forward to that.” Krystal then held his gaze for a long time. Her sapphire eyes glistened with life and light. “I love you, Fox.”

Fox kissed her. “I love you, too, Krystal.”


End file.
